Thai Tourism records good growth in May 2017

Chiang Mai, 14 June, 2017 –Thailand recorded international visitor arrivals of 14.61 million in Jan-May 2017, up 3.20 per cent over the same period of 2016, generating an estimated 747 billion baht in tourism receipts (+5.07 per cent), according to preliminary figures announced by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports. The announcement was made today as the Thailand Travel Mart Plus Amazing Gateway to the Greater Mekong Subregion (TTM+) 2017 opened to delegates from around the world.

In May 2017, The Thai tourism industry recorded 2.59 million visitor arrivals (+4.6 per cent), generating an estimated 125 billion Baht (+6.91 per cent). Visitors from East Asia totalled 1,899,000 (+6.01 per cent), the Americas 111,000 (+7.09 per cent), South Asia 165,000 (+6.42 per cent), Oceania 70,000 (+6.17 per cent), and Africa 14,000 (+5.28 per cent).

The markets reporting a slowdown were Europe 303,000 (-1.89 per cent) and the Middle East 39,000 (-19.31 per cent).

Tourism receipts in May totalled 125,430 million Baht (+6.91 per cent).Visitors from East Asia generated 76,880 million Baht, (+8.82 per cent), the Americas 8,160 million Baht (+16.88 per cent), South Asia 7,800 million Baht (+6.16 per cent), Oceania 5,520 million Baht (+7.93 per cent), Africa 950 million Baht (+7.98 per cent), Europe 23,160 million Baht (+1.65 per cent) and the Middle East 2,960 million Baht (-17.02 per cent).

The top-ten markets in term of tourism receipts were China 39,150 million Baht (+4.69 per cent), Malaysia 8,240 million Baht (+9.53 per cent), India 6,710 million Baht (+7.04 per cent), Russia 5,740 million Baht (+15.72 per cent), USA 5,690 million Baht (+17.45 per cent), United Kingdom 5,090 million Baht (-0.41 per cent), Korea 5,050 million Baht (+16.98 per cent), Australia 4,910 million Baht (+7.99 per cent), Japan 4,550 million Baht (+7.67 per cent), Singapore 3,170 million baht (+11.50 per cent).

In 2017, the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has set a target of 35.7 million international visitors, generating an estimated 1.81 trillion Baht (US$50 billion) – a 10 per cent year-on-year increase – in international tourism receipts.

A report by the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said that Chinese visitors have clearly recovered from the impact of the recent crackdown on low-quality, “zero-dollar” tours, some new risks have emerged in the form of instability in the Middle East. That, along with continued incidents of terrorism and a strengthening of the baht, may lead to a slowdown in arrivals.

However, the situation is being closely monitored to ensure minimum impact on arrivals.